Decade of hope, healing celebrated at Bucs’ Cut and Color Funds the Cure (2024)

TAMPA ― A decade ago, Lauren Schille attended this event as a 6-year-old with cancer, escaping the radiation and daily drip of chemo and despair.

On Thursday, her bright blue eyes scanned the Bucs’ indoor training facility during the team’s annual Cut and Color Funds the Cure, which benefits the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and smiled broadly.

“I remember it was very inclusive, just trying to get your mind off of the treatment, obviously,” she said. “You meet new people and have new experiences, so it was very beneficial, and I’m happy I got to be a part of it.

“It’s like a big family, and we come back and see each other.”

Schille, 16, will be a senior in the fall at George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, where she carries a 4.0 grade-point average and has 200 volunteer hours working in oncology at Lakeland Regional Hospital. Her Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, is in remission.

But there were some dark days when she learned the cancer was located between her stomach and spine, inoperable due to the way it had wrapped around her aorta.

“Almost a year after being diagnosed, she was considered in remission,” said her mother, Beth. “You’re never truly in the clear, but that’s where we are now.”

Bucs chief operating officer Brian Ford is the pied piper of this annual event, bouncing between players, coaches and sponsors. Each summer he grows his hair out only to get it shaved off for the most worthy of causes — to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

“It’s 10 years. You see the smiles,” Ford said. “Some of these kids came straight from the hospital, going through what they go through and their families. Over the last 10 years, I’ve learned more from these kids and their families than words could say.

“It’s all about just trying to bring awareness. Every day, 43 parents get that call that their kid has cancer, and I don’t know how to do it as a parent. If we as an organization along with the Glazer family can bring smiles on the faces, that’s what this is all about.”

“One individual graduated from college this year. Another one is in high school. We weren’t so lucky with all of them,” Ford continued. “We’ve lost a few, but their siblings came back. Just the bond and the connection and support is amazing. For me to do this and shave my head, it’s nothing in comparison to what they do on a day-to-day basis.”

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

Loading...

You’re all signedup!

Want more of our free, weekly newslettersinyourinbox? Let’sgetstarted.

Explore all your options

Bucs players and coaches came back, too. The star-studded list included Bruce Arians, Mike Alstott, Ronde Barber, Michael Clayton, Martin Gramatica, Dexter Jackson, Jimmie Giles and Dave Moore. Head coach Todd Bowles got his beard dyed red. His players, including Antoine Winfield Jr., Calijah Kancey and Zyon McCollum, left with painted heads.

“It was cool. It was different. I never had my hair this color, but it was awesome to be out here with the kids,” Winfield said. “With everything everybody is going through, it was good to have them out here around us and just be out here to enjoy this moment and be in the moment with the kids. That’s what you want. You want that sense of community, and that’s what we have here.”

By far, the most popular participant was former tight end and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski, who helped the Bucs win Super Bowl 55 during his two seasons in Tampa Bay.

After getting his head shaved by Jesuit High defensive lineman Tucker Witte, turnaround was fair play and Gronkowski agreed to give his kid barber a mullet.

“I’m feeling pretty good about it,” Gronkowski said, holding the sheers. “Tucker asked me to give him a mullet. It’s the Rollet. The Rob and the mullet combined.”

What’s remarkable is that just a week ago, Witte rang the bell as a cancer survivor. He had been diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), a disorder in which the body produces an excessive number of immature infection-fighting cells.

‘It’s super rare,” Witte said. “We caught it super early. I got lucky. We started treatment, and I finished in 10 months.”

In fact, Witte played in nine games with Jesuit last season and did not miss the spring game this year.

“These kids, I had it hard, but some of these kids have had it 10 times harder,” Witte said. “Some of them are half the age I am going through much worse than I went through. I’m just happy to be out here to support them.

“I played throughout my treatment as well. I played nine out of the 12 games. Hey, I like to think of it this way. My grandfather raised me a certain way where you don’t let things inconvenience you.”

Ford has led the efforts with the Glazer family that has raised nearly $700,000 for pediatric cancer research.

“This is a fight worth fighting, and it’s a fight that has bonded us all together and that’s what made (Thursday) special,” Ford said. “”The effects, the long-term effects. Kids getting adult drugs. Only 4% of the proceeds into curing cancer go into pediatrics. It’s heartbreaking. And as a parent, I’ll continue doing this as long as I can. Until there is a cure. Until no family and no child has to hear those words.”

Schille’s fight is just beginning. She plans on going to college to become a pediatric oncologist.

“I also want to give back,” she said. “When I was in treatment, I got so much, so I feel like kids out there deserve to have more research and stuff, so I’m planning on doing the inpatient care.”

• • •

Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.

Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.